Wardrobe Wake-up’s updated homepage; Image provided
In September, Aaron Fleishman and Barbra Dickerman launched their clothing startup, Wardrobe Wake-up, in Boston. The company gives women a way to refresh, or “wake up” their closets by loaning out high-end blouses and dresses, and after receiving feedback for early adopters, the business has made an important update to their model.
Starting Tuesday, Wardrobe Wake-up’s members will have the freedom to keep the garments and wear them as much as they want to – be it “three days, three weeks or three months,” according to the company’s press release. This makes the virtual “closet” available for previewing on Wardrobe Wake-up’s site more fluid, giving freedom to the subscriber to complement their own wardrobe with their favorite borrowed pieces.
Previously, Wardrobe Wake-up’s model was based on a one-month loan: subscribers would sign up for a membership tier, determined by the type of garments they’d receive (tops, dresses, or both), and then they’d receive one item a month. At the end of the month, members could return their borrowed top or dress or purchase it on the company’s site. If they failed to either return or buy it, they’d be charged a late fee of $5 a day.
With the new model, subscribers will only receive a new item once they’ve returned the previous one, or have purchased it. Fleishman recommends that someone who plans to keep an item for an extended period of time purchases it in order to get the most out of the service. On the flip side, those who return an item after just a few days will receive another in the mail. And if a user cancels their subscription with a garment still in their possession, she has seven days to either return or purchase it to avoid penalty charges.
About the change to the model, Fleishman said in the release:
Since our launch this past summer, we have been listening to and learning from our customers. They love the access to designer clothing that our service affords them, but they want more freedom. The best way to give our customers more freedom is to move even closer to a true Netflix for fashion model. With the original Netflix, subscribers could keep their DVDs as long as they wanted. Now, a Wardrobe Wake-up subscriber can keep her latest Shoshanna dress as long as she wants to.
The items that are available for borrowing on Wardrobe Wake-up are high-end items from brands like rag & bone and Alice and Olivia that would usually run between $150 and $300 for tops, or $200 to $700 for dresses at full retail price. The service’s subscriptions cost $25 (tops), $35 (tops and dresses) or $45 (dresses) per month, and if a user chooses to purchase an item, the price is reduced depending on how long it’s been in inventory.
The idea of Wardrobe Wake-up is to eliminate both financial and environmental waste when adding to your wardrobe, and with the company’s remodel, subscribers have more sartorial freedom than before. Existing users will be immediately enrolled in the updated service, while new members can reserve a spot on the wait list – those buying subscriptions as gifts, however, can skip the wait list.
Check out the company’s service and updated website here.
